Always You
by 12whitewhine
Summary: Jason realizes the incredible importance of Nico in his life - one that transcends the last war and continues to his present life. But will meeting someone new change that, or would it only intensify his yearnings?
1. Then: BATTLE

All of us, the seven called to be the chosen ones to defend humanity, were trapped in a suspended prison cell about 30 feet in midair. All the battles at sea, on land, and practically almost everywhere, and the victories that came with it – only to be detained incapably.

Monsters loomed beneath and above, with faces, if one could even call them that, so ghastly and vile. The most ominous creature of all births these creatures – the dark lady also known as mother earth, Gaea. She was perched in a throne made of black rock which, despite its darkness, still glowed with the eerie aura of misery. Eyes glowing with a sickly shade of green, she watched as her plans begin to slowly unfold.

The prison, which we were locked in, was made of a peculiar kind of metal – iron from Tartarus mixed with ichor. This special and powerful mixture made it impossible for us to speak or even open our mouths inside the confinement and, worse, to break free despite executing all our powers and abilities to bend or break even one single bar of steel.

Annabeth and Piper were unable to help since their talents involved speaking, but that didn't stop the rest of us. Percy used his control over water, Leo burned a part of the cell, Hazel kept on mentally calling for the iron to be under her command, Frank tried to turn into a mouse. Hell, I even tried to electrify the whole thing. We tried Riptide, Katoptris, Spatha, Gladius. As our luck would have it, none worked. Ichor and metal were practically invincible.

Beneath us, Gaea's minions kept on appearing out of the cracks of the earth – each one bigger than the other. Their grunts and screams were jeering at us in burlesque proportions. They were mocking at our lack of power.

I briefly wondered how on earth the Mist manipulated their appearances. Would they look like geysers? Or some animals trapped in an earthquake? Then again, with the amount of power that the dark forces were employing, the Mist might not even be working at all.

Then they came.

A few miles to our south, I glimpsed a mix of orange, purple, and silver – like distant light entering an abandoned room of pitch-black murk. First, it was only a speck, but eventually the three colors mixed to become a sea of demigods. As miserably violent the situation was, I could not help but be in awe at the sight of unity between the Greeks and Romans. Our parents may have their distinctive counterparts, but underneath it all, it appeared that we were all family. The descendants of Ares and Mars, Aphrodite and Venus, Hermes and Mercury, and all other gods slowly infiltrated the area where the forces of Gaea were rising.

I could see Clarisse leading the cavalry and slaying practically every brute that came her way. Reyna was on the other side of the field, holding her own against some demonic winged creatures that was trying to lift her off the ground. She managed to finally cut of the wings of one of them and right when the imp settled on the ground, the daughter of Bellona pierced it with her sword. The Hunters were present too. Thalia, my sister, just beheaded a harpy like it was any other day.

Their initial quick pace was slowed down because of their battle with the beasts and giants, and it would probably take some time before they reach us. But at least, I found relief in the fact that there were reinforcements. Finally, we weren't alone.

Then he came.

"Let them go, Gaea."

The familiar voice was coated with thick retribution, and the tone itself was enough to emanate fear. I looked down from our prison and saw a boy in a worn-out aviator's jacket standing on the clearing. He clutched his sword made of stygian iron with his right hand. He wore his father's skull ring in his left. Black smoke, different from the fumes that the enemy drew, surrounded him. I would recognize that boy and his aura from a mile away.

"Nico di Angelo, the bastard son of Hades," the earth goddess clicked her tongue in amusement. She surveyed the frail demigod in front of her and gave a little chuckle.

The insult drove Nico to summon his own army from the earth. Skeletons appeared alongside the creatures that Gaea created. This time, they were on our side; they were obeying the ghost king. Some of Nico's forces suppressed the beasts that were still crawling out of the cracks, while most sought to help our Greek and Roman brethren in their battles.

Gaea's expression remained unfazed, uninterested at the display of Nico's power. She looked at him with prying eyes, calculating what the boy might do next.

"It always amuses me how understated you have always been," she put her fingers to her lips, "you little bastard."

With this she spat out another laugh. "That word does bring a different ring, doesn't it?"

Gaea's words were sharp, but she made sure that it stung.

"You know what's worse than being a bastard?"

Nico summoned another wave of skeletons, this time larger in number.

"Being a monster."

This time it was Nico who was smiling.

"And that's what you are."

His army charged towards the throne, but it only took a wave of the goddess' hand for all of them to dissipate. I swallowed heavily, not only because I was concerned with how Nico was doing this all alone, but also because my hopes were slowly disintegrating to foolish ambitions. She was too powerful.

Keeping her composure, the woman in the throne coolly responded, "that's not a nice way to treat a lady, young man. I think your inappropriately professed friends up there would agree to that."

"I was never known to treat people well in general, so this shouldn't come as a surprise to them."

Gaea gave the faintest hint of amusement at the response of the young demigod. Nico was holding his own pretty well. At this rate, his army has managed to help the demigods inch closer to us, and his conversation with the enemy seemed to be buying us more time.

"Surprises? Oh but I love surprises!"

She took another look at Nico with her maddening eyes, emanating a fear that rivaled the latter's.

"In fact, I am very keen on giving you one right now."

"What -," Nico was just about to retort with what I expected was another sarcastic reply but it was cut short when Gaea made the small, effortless gesture of pointing her finger at him. What happened next caused more than disbelief to him, and to us.

A spear suddenly stabbed him out of nowhere. It punctured through the left side of his chest, and from where I was watching, I could see gushes blood spewing out of the wounds.

Nico screamed so harshly from the pain; the previous forceful quality of his voice now broken into vulgar agony. He dropped to his knees and closed his eyes while trying to maintain consciousness.

I looked at my fellow prisoners and saw the concern painted in their eyes. None looked as tormented as Hazel. Seeing a friend in pain was unbearable, but seeing her brother in danger was beyond words. I could see the tears that were brimming in her gold pupils out of fear, but mostly I felt it was because of her helplessness to help Nico.

I felt the same way too. Although we were technically cousins, which doesn't really count in Greek mythology, Nico was more than a friend to me. I couldn't pinpoint where my affection for him lies, but I was pretty sure that it was more than what people would usually consider friendship.

Ever since he confessed his secret to me, albeit involuntarily, I would like to believe that our bonds have been cemented stronger. We became more candid with each other, trusting each other with our stories, laughs, and problems. Sometimes, he could suddenly appear in Camp to look for me – and only me. We'd end up staying the night at the roof of his Cabin and talk. What we talked about did not really matter, it was more of the act of talking that did.

"It baffles me, Nico, why you continue to push yourself into this," Gaea gestured towards us, "- this group."

Nico was still on the ground. Faint whimpers were momentarily escaping from his mouth.

"You aren't even part of the chosen seven, yet you choose to help them. Not all of them even know who you are," the goddess quoted glibly.

"If anything, you fit nicely as a stray member. Displaced from everyone he knows. Only finding solace in the shadows, which is a privilege you gravely overuse."

I reached out my hand to Hazel and held her tightly. I think about how far Nico and I have come, and yet how he is suffering, alone, down below; I see Hazel, his sister who he loves and who loves him just the same; and I see the importance of Nico not just in my life, but to the lives of the other six people who were with me, my walls abruptly broke down. It was too exhausting to put on a straight face, and pretty soon, tears were forming, and falling, from my eyes too.

Nico was unable to take the physical anguish anymore so he collapsed into the ground. He lay on his right side. The face of the son of Hades was covered in his unkempt hair, yet his skin still struck out as pale as ever, which was possibly due to the huge of loss of blood.

Gaea regarded him with a pathetic sense of sympathy. "Seeing that you've demoted yourself to becoming an invalid, I would like you to become witness to the reason why I am here – the spectacle that is your friends' death!"

She looked at us, the helpless seven, and we looked at each other. All the recollections of our journeys flashed before us; it was hard to believe that everything was crushed to nothing. For gods' sake, this wasn't even our fight. This was supposed to be the battle of our divine parents, yet we let ourselves be played out as pawns to their whimsical prophecies.

"For our first act!" the earth goddess remarked, mulling over the possible prospects for her first victim for a few seconds, "Let's see… ah! What about the daughter of wealth?"

Each of us knew whom she was talking about.

Hazel tightened her grip around me. Her shoulders tensed conspicuously. I was about to pull her into a hug when she disappeared in a whirl of black substance that left a putrid smell.

Gaea opened her hand and Hazel fell into her palm.

"Nico!" Hazel was finally able to speak outside our cursed chamber. She didn't even mind that she was still captive, at a more lethal proximity than before.

Nico managed to look at the direction of the voice, and when he saw his sister, panic swept over his whole face.

"Hazel! No!" He struggled to get up.

"Oh, family is truly a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Gaea interjected and locked her gaze at Nico who was immediately frozen in place when the rocks in the ground reached for and locked his feet.

"What do you know about family! Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" the demigod threatened, mustering all the authority he could gather.

"I think you misunderstand where I'm coming from, Nico," Gaea said in a pleading voice.

"You see, it is precisely because of family," she placed a ridiculous amount of poison on the word, "that I chose Hazel here to be the first sacrifice."

"This daughter of Pluto took away a very dear part of my family," she then turned her gaze at Hazel, who was trying her best not to look distraught. "You remember what you did to Alcyoneus, do you not?"

Hazel stopped flinching at the mention of the giant. Alcyoneus was the bane of Hades and Pluto, and she had been the one to stop him. Instead, she stood up from where she stood and faced Gaea, the former's gold eyes glinting with determination.

"Yes, I would kill him again if given the chance. This time I wouldn't be as forgiving."

She began to glow and the earth began to shake.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my brother," she responded the cold and scathing voice that the children of the Underworld or known for.

Because the throne was somewhat made of minerals, Hazel's control over the black rock let it become engulfed towards the ground and this made Gaea lose her stance. However, before the daughter of Pluto could cause anymore damage, mother earth regained her control and quickly wrapped Hazel's whole body with black chains. She encircled her fingers around the demigod.

"Impressive, bastard of Pluto," she loved to utilize that word, "but using your powers is pointless now."

Hazel was losing consciousness because the chains literally drew out the powers out of her. Gaea then wrapped her grip around Hazel, causing her to suffocate.

"Now I can proceed in killing you."

"NO!"

Nico somehow broke free from the earth that fastened him to the ground, and was now stumbling towards Gaea.

"Take me –," Nico's tone was begging. "kill me – instead." He was appealing to Gaea to let his sister go, at the cost of his life.

"You told me yourself," he was struggling between breathing and speaking, "I'm not one of the chosen ones, and I'm – I'm as good as dead –"

"That's the thing, my dear," the earth goddess breathily responded, "why put some more effort in you when you're as, to use your words, good as dead?"

Nico gazed at his sister whose eyes were now only half-open, the pain in his eyes was unmistakable. If I knew any better, it outweighed the anguish that he felt within himself.

"It's particularly interesting to find children of the god of death fight for the privilege to be alive." Gaea was obviously amused by the show of the siblings' affection. "I find it an absolutely witty act on the Fates! One does not come by such irony from them very often."

"Nico -," Hazel's voice was soft but discernable. "Please, get out – while you can –"

"One thing I noticed though," Gaea was unfazed by the demigod's plea, "is that the Children of the Underworld have always been, and shall always be –"

"Hazel –"

"Outcasts."

"Nico, please, don't mind me –" Hazel was sobbing now. Partly because it agonized her to see her brother struggling, and partly because what Gaea said was true.

Without any fault on both of them, Nico and Hazel were bastards, they were born out of the death god's marriage to Persephone. More than that, Hades and his Roman counterpart were treated with fear, and those that he sired received less favorable accord. Harbingers of bad luck, they were branded. Between Hazel and Nico, the boy had it worse. While Hazel was affable in nature, Nico was completely different. He shies away from attention. He shies away from everyone.

My thoughts were cut off when I heard manic laughter coming from below, but from a person who I least expected it to come from.

Nico.

By this time, Reyna, Clarisse, and the demigod army were only a few miles from where we were. However, they were unable to inch closer to us, almost as if a barrier was preventing them from getting nearer to our vicinity. They were still far enough and I could not hear what they were shouting.

"What's so funny, young demigod?" Gaea took notice of this unusual response with curiosity. "Have you come to see the truth behind what I said?"

Nico stopped laughing but he was still grinning. It was a sinister one.

"Yes, your majesty," making sure to inject as much poison in his last word, "I do believe we're all bastards and outcasts. We were born from Greek concept of tragedy."

With this, he stood up shakily but slowly. Blood was still dripping from his wound and the stain now covered half of his shirt.

Then began the unthinkable.

He slowly began to pull the spear from his chest. Seeing his labor with his right hand and the screams that he was suppressing, I could not have imagined a worse form of weeding out one's own physical discomfort. Prodigiously, he was able to remove the whole spear, but at the expense of more blood disastrously embracing a larger portion of his body.

Yet this time, the son of Hades remained unfazed.

"I may not be part of the seven," his timbre was portentously calm, "I may be, as you may call it, weak."

He marched towards Gaea, and he wasn't struggling with walking anymore.

"As some of you may call me, weak," his words suggesting that it was not only Gaea he was referring to.

The upward curves of the edges of his mouth remained, deviously grinning.

But he turned his gaze upwards to look towards us. The long locks of his hair parted, and for the first time since he arrived, I saw his eyes. Those dark obsidian eyes that have experienced too much at such a young age.

It takes someone who knows Nico di Angelo to notice how his eerie and disturbing smile was in stark contrast to the terror in his eyes. He knew what was coming for him. He was afraid at what was coming for him, but he had to overlook that in favor of what he believed he was fighting for.

"But I am a child of the Underworld."

He shot Gaea an angry look.

"And let it be known from this day onward that children of the Underworld do not go back to hell without a fight."

He clasped his hands together and made a gesture of prayer before he removed his skull ring and kept it in his pocket. Then he closed his eyes, locked in concentration. He did nothing after that but emit a heavily-laden silence.

The earth goddess chuckled. "Is that all there is?"

No response.

"You have wasted my indulgence, Nico."

Silence.

"Are you not going to answer me?"

I was beginning to wonder what was going on with Nico as well. Was he alright? Was he in another trance?

"Since you practically threw all civility aside, let's take the barbaric route, shall we?"

With a flick of her finger, a hundred boulders were hurled towards Nico's direction. Hazel noticed this but could barely whisper his name. The rest of us were banging on the prison walls hoping that he could hear it. Even the Romans and Greeks tried to interfere but it seemed that they were, really and actually, caught in a force field. Thalia tried her best to pound aegis into the force field but it didn't work as well.

Nico, please. Wake up. I knew I couldn't speak, but it did not stop my thoughts from yelling for his safety.

The first batch of boulders were already about to reach him but when it was only a few feet away, all of them suddenly disappeared to nothing. They didn't explode into little pieces of rocks, they just vanished.

It left everyone in disbelief, even Gaea.

Personally, I was more relieved than bewildered. At least you're okay.

Nico then rose into the air. Black flames began to form around his feet and they slowly crept up to his body until he was covered in its entirety. As he was ascending, Gaea continued to hurl large stones, and even included spears, knives, and other weapons. Yet, the effect was the same. Everything disappeared just when they were about to get under his dark cloak. The flames were dancing around him, performing hypnotizing movements that concealed what was happening inside. It was my first time to witness a ritual of this sort performed upon a demigod. Power radiated from the flames – one which I am sure outmatched any other half-blood in the battlefield, including mine and Percy's. But that did not stop me from worrying about Nico – the Nico I knew – who was somewhere in those blankets of fire.

My apprehension did not last for long when the blaze began to take less space and flesh was beginning to show in the black cocoon. A figure slowly took form in front of us – bare-chested and dressed only pants. The flames made their way in the posterior and slowly assimilated the form of dark wings. His whole body still glowed with fire. On his right hand was the stygian iron sword. The man slightly grew in built and height, yet his face remained the same. He face had those unmistakably detailed contours. His hair, although tied to a bun, was still curly and some loose ends were hanging over his face. He finally opened his eyes, and when he did, the pupils were gone – they were all black, the shade of insatiable darkness.

The sight was too magnificent and petrifying to behold.

This was Nico di Angelo – the angel of death.

His first words reverberated with so much tremor that even Gaea had to recoil in her seat.

"Yes Gaea, let's take the barbaric road. I hear it's quite scenic."

With that, Nico quickly descended until his feet touched the ground. He coiled his fists and, with his newfound strength, pummeled the earth. It shook violently and produced cracks even larger than the ones that Gaea made. Millions of skeletons crept up endlessly into the surface of the earth and charged into battle against the enemies. The Greeks, Romans and Hunters welcomed the additional reinforcements as they continued the melee within the confines of the force field, not withholding any mercy to any empousa or giant that came in their way.

"You evolved into some angel to raise the same petty skeletons?" Gaea accused Nico. Although this time, I sensed a tinge of unrest in her voice, possibly recognizing the wrath of the son of Hades.

"That won't do anything to help your cause, half-blood."

Nico's reply was short but sharp. "I'm not done yet."

He struck the ground again, and this time, not only skeleton warriors appeared, but all sorts of primordial creatures that roamed the earth. Dinosaurs, dragons, phoenixes, serpents – all of them were homicidally emerging from the ground with raging intent to cause damage. Among them were Mrs. O' Leary and the guardian of the underworld himself – Cerberus.

And all of them were under Nico's control.

The angel of death smiled before Gaea.

The creatures rampaged through the land of the enemies and ripped them to shreds. A pterodactyl completely lunged through some of the harpies and tore them in half. Mrs. O' Leary gunned down some empousa before the heads of Cerberus brutally peeled their faces off.

Gaea then summoned more giants to maintain her stronghold in the battlefield. The bloodshed was beginning to get worse. Fiends and foes continually multiplied in numbers and helpless victims, most particularly the young demigods, were being murdered for foolish reasons.

I felt a growing pang of guilt because it was we, the chosen 7, who sought for the unification of our two camps. Alongside that, of course, came the implied duty to protect our bloodlines to whatever extent. Some of the siblings of Leo, Piper, and Frank haven't even reached 15 yet, some of them haven't had their first tastes of romance yet, but here they are, fighting for a cause they were only thrown into. They haven't experienced that much freedom to even be encouraged to fight for it.

Not to be outdone, Nico raised his sword, and it was instantly enveloped in black fire. Subsequently, the firestorm was blasted into launched into the sky to form a web. The increasing area of the energy was creating a turbulent rupture, sucking the clouds that surrounded it. Nico whispered something in Greek and then three creatures began to break out of the dark chasm. Three creatures who I never thought would ever be on the same side as I am.

Their faces were the embodiment of rage – sharp fangs, pointed ears and terrifying eyes the shade of pale yellow. Both their hands and feet were equipped with precise claws that could tear apart even rock. Most frighteningly, their wings, much like everything that came from the underworld, engulfed the light that came to their contact.

Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone – the Furies.

Normally, I would not be thrilled to see the sight of these tormentors before me, but since these newly summoned creatures are under Nico's control, I just prayed that when I do escape this forsaken prison, I will not get on their bad side.

Alecto lead her sisters to the giants and began to torment their hearts with guilt, Megaera whispered curses in their ears which ignited bursting envy, and Tisiphone, with her sharp talons, ripped their faces apart, or mutilated any organ of their body that she could first pin her claws on. This cataclysmic display of power was the reason they were one of the most feared creatures of the Underworld – the bore no regret in their murders.

The winged beasts strengthened the stench of fear and death radiated by Nico. They added anger, jealousy, and hatred. Them and the angel of death working together proved to be a daunting task for the monsters as some of them began to turn against each other and kill their own kin.

Gaea was increasingly becoming overwrought with the developing events. No one clearly expected this, not even from our side. I was well aware that Nico could exude dangerous amounts of power when he wanted to, as what he displayed with Cupid, but what I was completely heedless of was his untapped capability to literally let all hell break loose.

"If you think you can stop me with your chaotic –"

"Chaotic?" It was Nico interrupting the earth goddess now. He turned back to face Gaea, with his black eyes transmitting endless misery, "I never knew mother earth had such low standards for the term chaotic."

He left his monsters and the furies to aid Thalia, Reyna and the others and flew off the ground, hovering dangerously close to Gaea.

Before Gaea could acknowledge his presence – actually, before Gaea could even look at him straight in the eye, Nico spit out a massive dark flame into Gaea. The fire he blew out was completely bigger than him. It aimed at Gaea's face and soon enough, the head was covered by the holocaust of death.

While Gaea was momentarily blackened, Nico took this time to fly towards Hazel who was still being held captive by the hand of Gaea. He raised his sword and began whispering chants in Greek before he exerted all his force and cut off mother earth's hand.

The ground shook terribly, causing many in battle, both demigod and monster, to fall through the earth. The earth goddess was beginning to lose her hold in the war. The battlefield was now fractured with many crevices that were due to the summoning powers of Gaea and the angel of death. It was a sea of black and red, making it a resurrection of hell on earth.

With Gaea impaired, no monster dared to come near Nico di Angelo. He existed unscathed from any wound, no blood being let out from his form. It may be that the fire was protecting him or he merely discharged an incredible amount of fear to the enemies which would turn to their deaths if they even come within a few feet away.

Nico rushed over to the fallen hand to find Hazel. She was still wrapped up in the iron chains.

"Hazel? Hazel!" the frightening voice of the angel of death quivered and for a moment, returned back to its human tone.

Nico took his sword and quickly dismantled the chains.

Hazel opened her eyes.

When she saw Nico, she immediately reached for her brother and embraced him. Nico returned the gesture, and for once, I sensed some emotion of repose from him, finally knowing that his sister was alive.

Then Nico began to hold her shoulders steadily and talked to her in whispers. I couldn't clearly hear what they were talking about since we were far apart, but I could see Hazel's expressions morph from panic to outright disheartenment. She was arguing with Nico, clearly against the idea of what she and her brother talked about. But Nico just shook his head, and tried to talk to Hazel once more. This seemed to convince her as she stopped her sobbing and her expression suddenly turned as hard as stone.

The siblings of the Underworld stood up, hand in hand, and turned to walk where Gaea was. They were just a few feet away from her throne when Nico broke contact with Hazel. He continued walking until they were at the opposite ends of each other.

They knelt down and both their hands touched the ground.

Children of the Underworld have always had their advantage with the earth. As much as Percy draws his strength from water, and I from air, Nico and Hazel would only need to touch the ground. The vast immensity underneath it, from the dead to the minerals, would be at their beck and call.

But this time, they didn't just merely summon an army or some random jewel. It took two children of Hades to muster enough power to summon a wall so dark and enormous that it sprouted around Gaea like a pyramid, pointing all its edges to her head that was still wrapped up in black fire. The walls incandesced a black flare from the movement of stray souls piled up against each other, constantly opening their hollow mouths to let out muffled and unheard screams. Their number was impossible to determine.

Nico, with Hazel, accomplished another feat unheard of in recent memory. They summoned the walls of the Underworld.

By the time this was accomplished, the fire in Gaea's head completely burnt out.

Nico looked at his sister, and even if his eyes were completely blank, his worry was impossible to hide.

"Hazel, run."

"I'm not about to leave you, brother. Not after what you've –" Hazel was suddenly flung far away from the walls that she helped erected. Nico hid her safely in a group of boulders. I could hear her distant protests from up here.

"I'm impressed at your display of power, son of Hades," Gaea said, obviously struggling to move at her current situation. "I think it would do your skills justice if you would join me and my forces instead."

Nico clutched his sword tighter.

"Oh my child," she gave him a wry smile, happy with the thought that she finally got Nico's attention. "Look at the creatures that sprung from the earth. Either they are mine or yours. Do you not see that they are, in a twisted and captivating way, the same? They belong to the same home. They belong to our home, Nico."

She noticed that the angel of death was not interrupting him so she took it as a sign to continue.

"Have you not been hurt and betrayed enough by those you call your comrades? After this war, have you every thought about what will happen? Will there finally be peace? Will you finally have peace?" she taunted, "you will continue to live in the shadows, away from where these idiots could reach you. You will remain in the darkness, which I also consider my own home."

The walls of the Underworld, holding Gaea captive, began to form splits on their tips.

"Above, you are an outcast. Above, you are unloved. They will treat you as a son of the devil, even after all the sacrifices you have made. But below…" she shot Nico an inviting look.

"Below, you are a king, and you will learn to wield your power and be stronger than you already area. Below, your so-called friends will pale in comparison to what you will accomplish."

"So what shall it be, my dear?"

While Gaea was expressing her desire to recruit Nico, he remained quiet and bided his time, possibly like his trance before he gloriously transformed into his angel form. He was breathing deeply and I could see the rise and fall of his chest. His torso had the built of a warrior.

"I'm sorry your majesty," he finally spoke with such dominion in his voice that it made me shiver.

"But my creatures are different from yours, because I do not treat them as monsters. They are my colleagues, my pets," he said while looking at his father's dogs. "They are my company whenever I am in the shadows. With them, I do not feel as alone as I should."

The cracks on the walls of the Underworld disappeared, and the obsidian barricades once again became robust.

"And those idiots that you refer to are my friends." He flapped his enormous wings towards our direction until his back was in front of us.

"You would know better than to call any of them as such in front of me. The daughter of Athena can outsmart you anytime, the son of Hephaestus can build enough traps for you to never get out of your prison, the daughter of Aphrodite has the power to manipulate your subjects that eventually your pathetic excuses of sons and daughters will turn your back on you, while the son of Mars will lead the army towards your defeat."

His wings were growing in width and I was sure that I was not alone in feeling exceptional increase in the demigod's power while he was speaking.

"The son of Poseidon has more than enough determination to make sure that peace lasts while you remain sleeping for eternity. He has the ability to pool people of conflicting histories together to craft a new destiny."

"The son of Jupiter. He has the compassion and understanding that transcends your misshapen mind. He has the capacity to make people feel loved and that they are cared for. He will perform, to the best of his abilities, what he can to make things work and to make things right."

Nico turned his back against Gaea and faced us. I was too transfixed at the angel in front of me that I never bothered to even look at the remaining five prisoners. No, I was not afraid; I was in admiration of Nico. It wasn't really his abilities that made him as strong as he is now, but it was his bravery and most recently, his newfound honesty that was previously and inconveniently overlooked.

While it may be true that the shroud of black was enveloping him, I have never seen him filled with so much brightness in his heart and soul.

"And I do not need to make a decision."

His eyes were still has dark as night, and they have not yet returned to their natural form, but I can see the tears slowly falling from his eyes down to his lips. He was crying, but he was smiling – as if he was finally becoming free from whatever demon that tempted him from his past.

"After this war, there will be no above or below for me. Only rest."

The last statement had no venom to it, unlike Nico's ordinary retorts. That was when my insides turned cold. What was Nico saying? If he meant what I thought he intended, then he better get us out of this godforsaken confinement.

"And no one calls my sister an idiot."

Nico gave me no more time to appeal. Instead, he returned to his biting gaze and faced Gaea. With the bite back in his voice, he bellowed.

"Go to hell."

His wings extended to their full breadth and with one undulating move, they flapped rabidly towards Gaea. Orbs of fire formed from the air and the projectile wrapped around the walls of the Underworld. The spheres grew in shape and after a while, they began connecting to form a vast globe of night. This pitch-black circle did not have the same flickering quality as the walls. There were no trapped, wailing souls, but only pure black shadow. It appeared like a void in the middle of the ground and the sky. Nico created a two-tiered defense barrier from Gaea while simultaneously incarcerating her. And this was his most consuming creation yet.

He flew back towards us and, with the tip of his sword, destroyed the bars that kept us detained during the whole battle. I wondered briefly how he was able to destroy the combination of ichor and iron, when the rest of us failed in that aspect.

I was thinking of jumping off and flying to the ground when Nico's black firestorm enveloped me.

While I was immersed in the flames, I was half-expecting to be burned and half-expecting to be tormented by undead spirits. But it was completely the opposite. The angel of death's fire was neither hot nor emotionally damaging. Instead, it was soothing. It removed whatever apprehension shrouded my thoughts and replaced it with clarity. I didn't feel like I was in a war; instead, I felt a sense of safety. Perhaps this was why Nico was acting very composed all this time, because he was under the very essence of tranquility.

When the black died down, I was back to the ground. I coughed at the spoilt smell of death. I realized that I had my voice back when I started to mumble incoherent sounds. The first thing I saw was the other end of the battlefield, Gaea's monsters were slowly crumbling to their demise while Cerberus and Mrs. O' Leary threw their decaying bodies into the cracks of the earth, presumably to send them back to Tartarus.

"Nico!" A girl was screaming his name and I immediately turned back to the source of the voice.

I saw Hazel caressing the frail body of the angel who has returned back to his human form. Blood was spewing everywhere, his wounds returned, and he was no longer the invincible divinity that put Gaea to prison.

The six of us who were transported back to the ground immediately ran towards him, but I got to him first.

"Ha - Hazel, are you alright?" Nico's eyes were closed, and his strength was eroding quickly. Hazel let her tears fall freely from her eyes.

"I am, because of you."

Nico coughed blood again.

"Nico! You're gonna be okay, just hang in there," his sister was obviously trying to control the pain in her voice.

"Leo," it was the first time I found myself speaking, "quick, give him some ambrosia."

Leo took some ambrosia from his toolbelt and gave it to me. I tried to feed it to Nico but, as stubborn as he is, he refused.

"Please, buddy," I begged, "you have to take this."

"Don't mind me," his breathing was becoming unstable. "Ha- Hazel? Remember what I told you about the shield? It – it could only stop her for too long."

I glanced at his sister, guessing that this was probably what they were talking about a while ago.

"Yes, yes," she wiped her tears, but to no avail since she kept on crying. "Fif – fifteen minutes more."

"You should – you should take the time to break the force field and call the Ol – Olympians," the shiver in his tone suggested that he wasn't only losing strength, but, as I dreaded, something more valuable.

"Nico," Percy held his right hand tightly, "you have to eat this first, okay? We're gonna find a way to break that shield and someone from Apollo will heal you."

"Please, Nico," I looked at him and he was trying to hide the fear in his eyes, "please… do it for me… for us."

We were not children of the Underworld, but we knew that massive blood loss, an increasingly pale skin, with, of course, a miraculous one-man battle against Gaea would not end well.

"Nico, you're not leaving us," Piper used all her Charmspeak to break through what's left of his consciousness. "You have to take the ambrosia."

Then he opened his eyes. We thought that Piper finally managed to get through to him, but instead he looked at Hazel.

"Th – thirteen minutes," he gave her a faint smile.

"Remember what I told you," he even attempted a light chuckle. "It's okay Ha – Hazel. You don't have to worry about me. You have these people to protect you when I'm – when I..."

"Hazel," Annabeth said in a firm voice, "what is he talking about?"

It was a question all of us knew the answer to, but no one was brave enough to voice it out. Because saying it with words would make it more unendurable and more real.

I went up to Nico and took his left hand, he didn't have the energy to flinch.

He looked at me with those soft, dark brown eyes. It was really comforting seeing them after having seen Nico in his evolved form, with eyes that looked like endless shadows.

The warmth that his gaze relayed reassured me that after all he had done, and after all that he had sacrificed, he was still the same old boy that loved to play Mythomagic, the one who would bite back with the most sarcastic remarks when anyone would get on his nerves, the one who would defend his sister against all odds, the one who would disappear in the shadows when he gets hurt, the one who loved unrequitedly.

"I'm sorry I – I couldn't defeat him, Grace."

"You did what none of us can't, and could never even do, Nico." I intertwined my fingers tightly against his, and saw that Percy was doing the same too with his other hand. His head was against Hazel's lap. If the three of us could give him the life force that he needed, if only physical contact would do that, we wouldn't even make the slightest objection.

"I've never seen a demigod do that," my voice was already shaking and starting to lose its control. "That was pretty awesome, what you did there…"

"Hey, maybe you could finally beat me in practice."

"Save it, Grace."

He let go of the hand that was holding Percy and gave me a playful jab in the ribs. I smiled at him, and I could see that he was doing the same.

"Jason," he began.

I have always liked it when he called me Jason. The times were far and few between, but these were moments that were special. There was always some significance when he called me Jason. Like when he told me that he was glad that I was with him during the encounter with Cupid, or whenever he confessed his frustrations about Percy, or when he felt left out from both camps. But mostly, he called me Jason when he told me how much he missed Bianca, his sister.

I never grew tired of hearing his stories, because after letting his frustrations out, he would always feel better because somebody listened to him. And I felt very honored to have that privilege.

"I'll always remember Croatia," his barely recognizable tone brought me back.

"It felt good… being understood."

Hazel looked at me, without a doubt wondering what happened between us.

"You – you can tell them, but not here... not now," he told me. "- won't… won't take it against you."

He put all of his remaining strength to look at his sister.

"I love you, Nico," a smiling Hazel kissed him on his cheek.

"Ha – Hazel, do you feel it?"

Hazel hesitantly nodded in silence.

Did she feel what?

"His time has come."

A new voice entered the conversation. The temperature around the area suddenly became colder. And one man could only cause it.

"I'm sorry father."

Hades moved towards Nico. He and the boy bore striking similarities, from their sharp facial features, except the younger one's eyes, to their asocial disposition. When he was at Nico's feet, he gave the weakest attempt of a smile.

"You have done well, my son."

He knelt beside me and took his free hand.

"I have never been prouder."

"Thank you, father."

And with that, Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, drew his last breath with a smile on his face.

Hades took his dead son away from us. As he stood up, he gripped the frail boy a little too tightly, and it did not take a descendant of Athena or Aphrodite to know that he was also grieving on his own. When he turned his back against us, he adjusted his grip on Nico. He did not notice us looking at him, but we saw him embrace Nico and give him a kiss on his forehead.

From across the shield, I could see the demigod army watching us. Cerberus and Mrs. O' Leary were howling, quite possibly lamenting the loss of Nico. Reyna, Clarisse, and Thalia, remained silent, paying their respects to the angel, without whom each and every demigod would be dead by now.

"The Olympians will be here shortly," Hades vowed, the darkness in his voice resembling Nico's.

Of course, they could not have picked a better timing.

"I will keep Nico in my palace for the time being, and will return shortly to give you aid." With that he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Annabeth managed to find a way to break the force field. Apparently, it had to take someone from the outside and the inside to break it. By the time Nico's sphere and the walls of the Underworld dissolved, leaving Gaea free, we were all surrounding her – battleplan in hand.

I fought like I have never fought before. I used all of my abilities not only to protect those who were still alive but to avenge Nico. I never knew I could summon the winds and lightning of such colossal proportions until they were in front of me. Grief could be a very powerful monster when fed. I didn't care how many I killed, so long as I did. I was on an unstoppable blood hunt as I screamed at cried my way to the death of these beasts. They were the ones that took Nico away from me, so it was fair, in my polluted understanding of the word, that I took their existence away. I was thirsty for war. At that moment, peace really didn't matter to me in so much as pluck the life out of those who hurt Nico.

I looked around me and saw that everybody was giving their undivided attention to the defeat of Gaea. A portion of the field was completely engulfed in fire that was caused by Leo. On the other end, Percy summoned water out of the air, and cyclones as high as the sky were slowly annihilating our enemies. Piper, with the help of the descendants of Venus and Aphrodite, focused her Charmspeak on Gaea and made her destroy a large portion of her monsters. The descendants of the God of War, headed by Clarisse and Frank, who were each given their father's blessings, were on full rampage. Reyna, with the help of Annabeth and Thalia was directing the other warriors parry the monsters that emerged from the earth's cracks. Meanwhile, the descendants of Apollo were healing the wounded.

Then there was Hazel. She was not on the same path of destruction as I was, but she was manifesting more power than I have seen her done. She called on each and every metal-made weapon that belonged to the enemy and had it transported in front of her. Then she buried them all into the ground, only to have them re-erupt as the same kind of pyramid that trapped Gaea. Only this time, she did it on her own.

We held the earth goddess long enough until the Olympians arrived. Eventually Gaea was defeated.

Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd, to finally celebrate the victory of the gods. I welcomed the sound of relief, but eventually they deafened out until they only resembled static in my hearing. I was drowning in my own tears, trying my best to understand the result of this conquest.

Underneath the triumph, which everyone was congratulating everyone with, were the sacrifices and the lives that were lost. Those who will never get to live in this lifetime anymore. During that moment, no amount of success could overpower the loss that I have felt.

And no loss was more painful than Nico, whose sacrifice was the most miraculous display I have ever encountered.

The world did not fall through storm, but fire. It was not the burning element that anyone expected, but the black flame, which could only be wielded by a descendant of darkness.

The oath that was kept with a final breath belonged to the angel of death.

He told me once that after all this, he would leave us forever. And he did.

And I, Jason Grace, remembered everything all too well.

* * *

A/N: This is a pretty long first chapter, and a lot of things might not make sense, but I have to establish first the foundation of this story before it could go on. All writers have to, don't they?

And yes, Nico is dead. Do not get me wrong, the Jasico ship needs to happen, and I'm not about to let that sink in this story. Just be patient please.

Reviews and comments are very much welcome!


	2. Now: THE SISTER AND STUDENT

It has been 17 years since I left my life as the boy who lived up to the expectations of others.

After the war, I made it particularly clear that I did not want to involve myself in anything remotely related to my godly heritage anymore. Of course, this was met with enmity from both Greek and Roman sides, but for a boy my age, the bloodshed was too much to take in. It should not be construed as a reckless and miscalculated move. I have thought about the consequences long and hard, but in the end, the hope of being freed from gods nibbling away my private affairs, however dry or far-flung it may have seemed, seemed to make things reasonably clearer.

The decision was a pretty hard one to make, but putting it into action was not as really punishing as I thought it would be. The circumstances and the loss I endured made my transition into normalcy easier. I had no apprehensions on leaving the balance of the world with Piper and the others. Nothing to me seemed worse than the thought of Gaea taking over the world, and I had the gut feeling that any subsequent prophecy or quest could never trump the weight that the war had put upon us. The world would still be a safe place, with my friends being on guard and constantly enslaved by our divine ancestors.

My life has taken quite a few dramatic turns since then. I have made the most strategic move to Alaska. I know that this is the one place where the gods, especially my dad, could never reach me. Although I have placed a considerable amount of trust in their word, one can never put too much faith in their capricious nature. I settled in a place called Juneau, which is closely pronounced in the same manner as my Roman patron's, if only to serve as a reminder of days gone by.

I like Alaska – the endless green, or white, depending on the season, and the peace that it offers me is soothing. There are days when the sun would never set, and there are some when it would never show itself at all. It's a world of extremes, really. The people here are friendly and most don't seem to have a penchant for meddling in the lives of others, particularly mine. It's completely across the world I used to live in, where one minute somebody would tell me something only to have it completely changed the next. I enjoy the privacy I have here.

Sometimes, I still do thirst for power, as I remain Jupiter's son. And I wouldn't be too remiss to deny the fact that I miss (missed, if it makes any sense) going on the usual adventures with the others. If anything, my yearning was more intense then than it is now. 17 years of placid existence after a history-altering encounter with a primordial leaves a bitter aftertaste and a pungent withdrawal symptom, especially to a man who suffers from ADHD, which, by the way, is one of the multitudinous perks of having a god for a parent.

I thought that a decade and a half of being a normal person would have been enough for me to have an unshakeable conviction on my commitment, but obviously I still fumble back and forth on the what if's. I am still half-human who has his moments of decisiveness.

Among the items in my list that convinced me to be where I currently am, two particularly stand out as my main justifications.

One of those is being a teacher at, amusingly, Athensville Elementary School. While my father's powers may not have reached Alaska, his sarcasm is on an entirely different plane. I confess that it isn't exactly a reason on why I stayed, but more of a reminder. After taking up a degree in education at one of the universities here, which cost a lot by the way, I began to teach Greek and Roman mythology to 5th graders. Teaching served as a stabilizing compromise for a boy who only knew too much on gods and goddesses but absolutely had no way to make ends meet when he set foot on this terrain.

Fast forward to the present, and I wouldn't exactly say I am still struggling. I now can proudly say that I have enough, and sometimes even some surplus to splurge on a few luxuries here and there. My latest splurge, if you may call it, is a brand new F-150 with the most amazing shade of blue.

But I know that the most important reason for my moving to Alaska is something more than wanting to be normal in so much as never wanting to experience anew the grief that continues to linger all too familiarly today.

The war has cost so much lives, and one of those was Nico di Angelo's. The son of Hades died a hero; his sacrifice and his loss affected me the most. I couldn't pinpoint why he exceptionally mattered to me during the time when he was heaving with his last words, because I was too shocked and provoked with injustice. I was angry at everyone and almost everything, that all I knew to be true was that he was gone, and I was hurt that he was gone. I never bothered digging deeper for reasons, because why would it matter if knew why? He was dead.

But as I have mellowed my temper out, I understood that it was not only fury and hollowness that I felt, but longing for him – for Nico himself. I guilelessly mended the broken pieces of my relationship with Nico and candidly realized why he mattered that intensely to me. However, to my misery, knowing the reason did not exactly bring him back.

And so with these thoughts in my mind, I am thrown back to my current state of undress in my bed when I heard my phone ring. The phone was a gift from Leo, son of Hephaestus. Although demigods normally weren't allowed to use phones in communicating with each other, he, being the mechanical whiz that he is, managed to invent a device that wouldn't alert unknown monsters that we were in the area.

"Hey Sparky!" the other end of the line said. It was said a bit too loudly that I had to distance my phone from my ear.

"Hello Pipes," I addressed her name. Only one person in the world called me that, my ex-girlfriend Piper. The daughter of Aphrodite was my first love, and one of the few people in the world who accepted me without expecting me to sweep them off their feet or become perfect at all times.

"It's the first of July, and you only know what that means," she grinned.

I rolled my eyes, because I knew exactly what she was about to say.

"Happy birthday! I miss you!"

Today is also my birthday. I don't exactly make a big deal out of it. For the past 17 years, I haven't.

"Thanks Pipes. I'd appreciate you not greeting me in your megaphone voice, though," I joked.

Piper and I broke off shortly after the war, because I was on a path to self-destruction. Honestly, I would have ended things with myself as well. I still cringe a bit (a lot) when I look back at how badly I misbehaved.

But the war did not happen yesterday, and so we have come a long way since then. A few years after I left, Piper fell in love with Will Solace, son of Apollo, and they are now happily married.

"When are you coming back here in LA? I miss you, the others do too," she whimpered.

"Piper, I've only just been there last Christmas. I thought Leo said –"

"Yes I know what he said," she chimed in, "that you'd lose your teacher-cool if you give in to childish demands too easily blah blah."

I could visualize her pouting face at me, with those colorful eyes gleaming playfully.

"We all know he was referring to himself when he said that. Never thought it would hit you too."

"Now just a moment there, Professor Grace, we both know that I am a responsible woman now. I am a wife, a mother, a businesswoman –"

"Yes, and I really think it's awesome that you never forget to greet me on my birthday. You're actually the first one to do so. Not that I'd expect a lot but…"

"Oh come on Jace, both of us know if you were still here, people would fall in line just to greet you," there was a hint of accusation in her voice.

Obviously, she was one of those who voiced out their strong dissent in my decision to move out. It even went to the point when she had to use Charmspeak against me. I was about to give in until she didn't infect her words with her power anymore. She did not want me to go, but she was also against me staying because I was under a spell.

Still, it didn't erase the fact that she disapproved of me living a few thousand miles away from her. And up to today, it remains a sensitive topic.

"Yeah, but I guess it doesn't really matter that much, does it?" I quipped. "I mean, you greeted me, and I guess that would get me through the day."

"Are you trying to hit on me, Jason Grace?"

Just like that, the tension is gone. "Would I even need to try, McLean? I thought I was your one true love."

"You have to thank the gods it's your birthday. Or else I'd have come up there and give you a piece of my mind," she replied with a gleeful tone.

"But seriously, I miss you Jason. And I wish I could be there to talk with you everyday and help you because gods know how you can be a complete airhead sometimes. Leo wishes you a happy birthday and the others do too. I hope you can come visit soon. Angela's been yapping on about you since you gave her that stuffed moose toy for Christmas."

Angela is the daughter of Piper and Will and my goddaughter. She is honestly one of the most charming toddlers ever created. She has her father's face with her mother's eyes, and it doesn't take someone as intelligent as Annabeth to realize how good a combination of Aphrodite's and Apollo's bloodlines is.

"I miss all of you too. Tell Angela there's more of that where I came from. I promise I'll come back when I have the time."

It wasn't absolutely true, though. Of course I miss Piper and Leo. Hazel, maybe a little bit, and Reyna too. If I had the money, I would have come visit them at least once a month. But I couldn't exactly say the same thing to the others who I didn't name. I do not exactly wish that they were out of my life, it's just that I've always played our relationships by ear, and I could honestly live without them.

But I couldn't say that to Piper.

"Anyway, I wish you a good day, Sparky. I bet you're in for a lot of surprises today."

With that, there was a knock on the door. I was confused at who could possibly visit me this early in the morning. I wasn't expecting anybody, so naturally, I was still in my boxers.

"Oh is that a knock on the door I hear?"

"Piper, do you know about anybody coming to visit me today?"

"Jason? Jason? Sorry, you're – you're line's becoming choppy," I knew that it wasn't true because I could sense the sinister smile in her voice, and I also sensed that she was aware of whoever was behind the door but she was choosing not to tell me. "But if I were you I'd open my door –"

"Cut it Piper," my tone held no grudge or anger, and I think Piper realized this because she did not respond with any accusation.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to open the door and see what you have in store for me."

Piper chuckled on the other end of the line, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Have a great day Sparky!"

"You too, Pipes. Love you!"

With that I hung up and walked towards the door. I figured that since Piper knew who was coming to visit me, whoever that was wouldn't mind if I answered in my boxers.

Piper was right, I would be surprised.

"Damn Jason, put some clothes on."

"Thalia!"

I immediately pulled my sister into a hug. It feels odd calling her my big sister since she's immortally 16 and I'm now 32 years old. So I'm technically the older brother now, but it is increasingly difficult to explain so I resorted to defining our relationship as a perfect example of a tragedy in case anyone asks.

"Gods, you're here. I mean, how did you even –"

"We were around the area and Lady Artemis let me have a few hours off. I thought I'd drop by to see how my little big brother is so I took a bus to your neighborhood and just as I suspected, he's celebrating his birthday in his boxers," she said annoyingly.

"How did Piper know you were coming?"

"We were in LA the past week and I stopped by her place. I told her I was planning on getting on your nerves for you birthday."

"Well isn't that just brilliant," I closed the door behind me and let her inside my apartment. "Wait, you took a bus?"

"What, you're surprised?" Thalia already made her way into the fridge and got some leftover brownies that I baked last night.

"These are reeeally good by the way," her words barely audible as she munched the last square.

"Okay, so first: thanks, because I've recently taking up baking as a serious matter," I sat on the plush, velvet couch in my living area. It was also one of my recently acquired luxuries. It replaced a forsaken and really aged couch which still makes me wonder how on earth I managed to survive so many years without getting my back broken.

"And second: I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the thought of you riding a bus," really, who doesn't take public transport these days anyway. "You hunters have done far more extraordinary things than ride a vehicle."

I paused, "I suppose what I'm really surprised at is you being here, in the flesh. I miss you, Thals. It's been almost two years since I last saw a glimpse."

"You were always the sentimental one between the two of us, Jace." Thalia was still struggling to balance chewing her food and speaking.

Finally, and thankfully, she cleared her throat.

"And yeah, I'm sorry if I haven't visited as often as I could, but you know," she rolled her eyes and waved her hand, "duties await."

"Besides, you look pretty healthy yourself," our blue eyes met and for a moment there I thought I felt a light buzz in the air.

"It's not that," I cut her gaze and looked outside the window. The sun was already up and the light was beginning to engulf my room, "I mean – I… well, it's just that I still haven't made up for the countless amount of years that I haven't played the role of your annoying little brother."

It was a terrible rephrasing of how much I miss her, but she obviously knew what it meant.

"I have my sleepless nights too, you know, mulling around all those lost opportunities to hit you in the head if that stupid old lady didn't kidnap you from me," her tone was stern as she described Juno who, technically, did steal me away from my sister. Thank the gods they were powerless her, or else I could imagine the fight that would probably have ensued.

Her gaze softened as she approached me and gave me a kiss on the cheeks.

"I love you Jace, nothing is ever going to change that. No matter how older you become, I'll always be your big sister."

"Thanks, Thalia."

"Now, quit moping around and dress up. We're spending the day together." Zeus' daughter ruffled my hair and sat herself comfortably beside me.

Thalia couldn't stand more than 5 minutes of an emotional conversation, unless that feeling is rage in which she could survive for hours. I was the less apathetic child between the two of us, which I honestly do not mind.

"Only if you change that vestal, military outfit you're wearing," I snickered.

She poked me in the ribs, which tickled me at lot.

"Alright, alright! At least wear a hoodie, damn it!"

There you have it, my annoying sister.

* * *

We went out for lunch at one of the diners downtown. Choosing what to eat wasn't hard since the both of us loved cheeseburgers. Thalia made some snide remarks about my poor choice of nutrition, but before I could even question hers, she held up her finger to shush me.

"I'm immortal, Jason. I couldn't give a fuck on what I eat."

Well, she had a point.

Lunch was spent mainly on munching burgers and fries, and the occasional catching-up questions. Apparently, the hunters have not been too hard-pressed with hunting down any rotten monster ever since the war, which has been a long time ago. The fact that the universe has been in check made me happy, because it only meant that all our efforts in defeating Gaea weren't done for nothing, and that there are less chances of my sister dancing around with danger than what she was normally accustomed to.

I told her about my life as a teacher. Not that she hadn't heard of it before, but both of us loved the feeling of being reassured of where we were. Of all the people from my past, I felt most comfortable talking to Thalia not just because she is my sister, but she was the only one who did not ridicule my decision to move. In fact, she was the first one who supported me. Being children of the King of the Olympians, she understood the exact burdens that came with the title, the shortcomings that Zeus' or Jupiter's comings are prone to, and the immeasurable regret if we do not do as we are expected. Her decision to become part of Artemis' band of hunters was similar to my little act of rebellion. It may not have gone well with our father, but at least it gave us the satisfaction that we could do something more than step into what was our preconceived destinies.

"Sometimes," I began, "I imagine going to the classroom as my ongoing quest."

"And your students are the monsters that you have to slay," she seemed glad with her input.

"Well they're not that hideous. But make no mistake, they require the same amount of energy."

Of course, I was teaching 5th grade students who could never see anything past their noses. I had to be perkier than the usual person.

I left the car parked at the diner after I paid for the bill. From there, we just roamed around town aimlessly from shop to shop, park to park. I planned on buying her a new dress but decided against it since it would be of no use to her. She was required to be in her uniform at all times. Sometimes, she would point to an item on the store that she liked or she felt would look good on me, but that was about it. Sometimes, she would touch lampposts or chairs made of metal and transmit electricity; sometimes, she would place her hand on unsuspecting people who would immediately have their hairs stand on end. Frankly, it was amusing.

I didn't care that we were just drifting around. The fact that I was making up for lost time my sister was enough to make me beam with joy.

We decided to have dinner before she took the bus to the border. I told suggested a new restaurant that opened just a few blocks south, and she was all too ecstatic to oblige when I told her that they served steak.

The place was, as I expected, packed on a weekend. We were lucky enough to get the table by the window. The seats were wide enough for four, catering two on each side, but since we did not expect anyone else, we had it all to ourselves. We decided on sharing the steak, while I ordered some fries and wine to go with it. Thalia had to go to the ladies' room, so I was left alone flipping through the pages of the menu. I was looking at the selections for dessert when someone went up to the table.

"Uh, excuse me," the unfamiliar voice began, "but is this seat taken?"

The question irked me a bit. I for one do not go around crowded restaurants and ask for vacant seats on each table. But since it was my birthday, I decided to play nice. I shifted my gaze from the menu to the person in front of me.

The way he looked seemed oddly acquainted. Much like the feeling I get when faced with something that I should know at the back of my hand, but eventually become lost for words in pointing it out because it's too familiar. The boy was about 5'5. His dark, curly hair was neatly tucked in a bun. His face bared sharp, distinct contours, and its only soft aspect was his eyes. They were brown, mellow, and aged with a jovial shimmer. He had a pallid complexion that gave the illusion that he was thinner than he already was.

Before I could go on with my internal ministrations, he interrupted.

"Oh my god, Mister Grace?"

"I'm sorry, do we know each other?"

"Oh sorry," he gushed, "you wouldn't remember me."

I stared blankly at him.

"I was your student back in elementary, the name's Julio Primero."

Julio? The fact that he had a pretty common name did not help in my panicked recollection on all the students I've taught. Although I really feel like I knew this boy from somewhere, give or take 5 years ago, my mind was too busy shuffling with information too even function. I could turn him down, but it was my birthday and he was not entirely a complete stranger so I decided to just let him sit with us.

And pretend that I know him until I finally figured out how we were really acquainted.

"Oh yeah, Julio!" The boy was realizing how awkward his act was.

"Hey man, no problem," I gestured towards Thalia's seat, "come, sit."

"I didn't know we were expecting company," my sister appeared from behind me.

"Oh hi Thals, nice of you to come back. This is Julio. Julio, this is Thalia."

Thalia gaped a little longer at the young man before they finally shook hands. I gave her a less than awkward smile, signaling her to just sit beside me first as I sort things out. She looked as if she got my message so she obeyed. I was beside Thalia, and in front of us was someone claiming to be my former student.

Julio stared at our faces, and at how close we were so he blurted, "uh, am I interrupting something?"

I eyed him suspiciously.

"You guys on a date or –"

"No! Eww!" Thalia did the answering and I was fairly certain that the fact that we were not dating was made loud and clear. Although Thalia was forever young, her serious demeanor always made her look a bit older. I, on the other hand, could still pass off as a young man in his early 20's. So I suppose it would not be totally unreasonable to assume we were dating.

"Thalia's my sister," I added.

"I can see that now," Julio paused and grinned mischievously, "but really, am I interrupting? I mean, I could just go ahead or..."

"No, no," my sister motioned for him to remain where he is. "Stay. Jason doesn't really have any friends."

"He was my former student," I quipped and ended my statement but that because that was all I knew of him. I gave Thalia another awkward smile to convey what I couldn't say and she took it upon herself to bridge the conversation.

"And I'm suspecting you didn't learn a lot, Julio," Thalia sipped the wine that was just recently served.

Julio gave his order to the waiter before he replied, "sorry to disappoint you, but your brother is kind of an awesome teacher. I learned a lot about Zeus and shit from him."

"Zeus and shit?" Thalia's voice echoed with delight, "where do I sign up for this class, Jace? I need to know about Zeus being shit!"

"There you have it," I raised my hands in a victorious gesture.

"Julio, are you sure Jason doesn't secretly send out some proxy to teach you. He kind of has a generic face and all…"

"Stop bullying me, Thalia! I'm not 15 anymore."

"Yes, you just turned 32," she poked me in the ribs, "doesn't mean I have to stop messing around with you."

"32? You mean today?" Julio joined in, "you're 32?"

"Uh, yes," my cheeks turned red. I hate admitting my age.

"I thought you were just," his hands gestures were working up, much like when Leo get excited over something. "I don't know… 25?"

I almost choked at the number he guessed.

"You do realize that if I'm only 25, then I would have been inappropriately under-aged when I taught you."

That's a happy thought, isn't it? If he was patronizing me out of guilt because he intruded our dinner, I was willing to let it slip.

"Jason does a lot of botox…"

"Thalia!"

Julio tried to suppress his giggles. It must be a spectacle seeing his professor fall helplessly to the taunts of his sister. Yet somehow, I knew that he didn't believe Thalia when she said that I was having plastic surgery.

"So what brings you here, Julio?"

"I actually I just wanted to celebrate," he took a swig of the beer he ordered, "I heard this is the new best place in town so…"

"Same reason why we're here," the fries already arrived so my sister began chowing them down. "So what are you up to these days, Julio?"

"I work at the kid's shelter just a few streets away from me. I just finished with my shift a couple of hours ago and now I'm just drinking the night away," his fingers were fiddling with the handle of his mug while he explained to Thalia what he was doing.

"That's…" she pursed her lips, "a noble cause?"

"Yeah it is," he laughed, "I kind of love kids, you know?"

"Not if that kid was Jason."

Gods, she was really serious about making up for lost time. She began to tell Julio stories – embarrassing ones – about my youth. Each one made the curly-hair man laugh harder and my tone was an increasing shade of red. I wanted to sink in my chair and secretly wished that the earth would swallow me up.

"There was one time when he was a baby, he tried to eat a stapler –"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, dear sister," I finally gained enough courage to speak up and defend myself, "but all my students know about that story."

"It's kind of impossible to avoid," I pointed at the scar on my lip.

"I remember that!" Julio mused, "I didn't believe your story though, Mr. Grace. I always thought that those were battle scars."

Wait, battle scars?

I don't know if it was the wine helping my mind declog, but the identity of Julio was gradually becoming, how shall I put it, clearer?

"I think…"

My mind flashed back a few years ago. There was a boy, a boy who got in trouble for arguing with his classmates.

"Wait, are you…"

The one who I had to accompany to the principal's office because he punched one of his classmates in the face since they were laughing at him.

"I think I finally remember you!"

Julio gazed down at the table and gave a faint laugh. This time, it was he who blushed.

"You were the student who didn't believe my story about the stapler," the fragments slowly reforming in my brain, "you always thought I got them from some battle I fought. And you stood by the veracity of your story."

"And I argued against anyone who didn't believe me," he took another shot from his mug.

"And you got into trouble for clobbering one of your classmates because he made fun of you."

"And you saved me from getting expelled."

Julio laughed at the memory. "Man, my imagination that time was wiiild. I really thought you were some kick-ass warrior, Mr. Grace!"

"Well wouldn't you know?" Thalia reentered the conversation. "Jason, the warrior!"

"Sounds familiar," she stressed the last word.

"I guess I was too much involved with all those gods and goddesses, that I was caught up in my own little world of magic," the young man joked, the flow of the conversation became even more relaxed now that I finally solved the mystery of Julio Primero.

"You gotta be careful though," Thalia said, "nothing isn't really that far from the truth. You never know when Jason might show up in the middle of town one day wearing a gladiator's costume."

"Now that I gotta see!" he and my sister held their glasses together. Why did these two, who barely knew each other, get along so well?

"How about you Thalia, what do you do? Do you still go to school or something?"

This time, it was she who nudged me in the elbow, silently asking for my help.

"Uh, she's a…"

"I'm involved in a company –"

" – a, uh, a hunting company."

"Yes, uh, I, uh…"

"I hunt."

Julio's eyes twitched, clearly looking for further explanation. It was not like me to stumble for words. It was not like me at all.

"Aren't you a little too young to be dealing with deadly weapons?"

"Oh, no, not at all! My boss trains us well. She's cool, she's really good at –"

"Hunting," I stuttered again, "Arte- I mean her boss, she's really a good hunter."

I was praying silently for some sort of distraction to save us the humiliation of having to explain Thalia's preternatural exploits, and thankfully a waiter approached us.

And he served me with a slice of chocolate truffle cake.

"I didn't order for –"

"Actually, I did," Julio said sheepishly. "I kind of know one of the waiters here, so I texted him when you guys were arguing. It's the least I could do for barging in your family dinner."

"And, you know, for saving my elementary ass a couple years ago" he continued.

"I hope you like chocolate?"

"Are you kidding me?" I finally got out of the immense shock that a ridiculous slice of cake brought me. "I do!"

"Thanks for doing this, Julio," Thalia gave him a smile, "like I said, Jason really doesn't have a lot of friends…"

"Thalia!, " I groaned.

All of us laughed and clinked our glasses, sharing stories and thoughts on just about everything when Thalia suddenly whispered that she had to go. With a frown, I gave her a hug, and offered to give her a ride to the bus station, which pretty far if she walked.

After taking care of the bill (minus the cake, because Julio insisted that he pay for it), Thalia and I said goodbye to my former student. We exchanged our numbers before he left for the door.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" I was actually surprised when I made the offer.

"Oh no, that's too much overstepping for the night! I'll see you around, Mr. Grace," he grinned. When he did, though, I finally conjured to clarity all the hazy images of his face when he was still my student. He hadn't changed much, except maybe for the sharper features, and I found myself smiling back. Not only do I remember the boy who thought of me as a hero, but, by some stroke of fate, I also met him again tonight.

"I would be delighted if you call me Jason."

"Very well, see you around, Jason."

Thalia and I hopped on my truck, and soon enough I was dropping her off at the bus stop.

"I appreciate the visit, Thals. Really, I do."

"I know that, Jason," she sighed, "and believe me, I would trade all the time in the world for moments like these."

She gave me a long, warm hug. I hugged her back because I don't know when I will ever be able to see my sister again.

"Come visit me when you have time, okay?" I kissed the back of her head and regaled myself in her crisp, clean scent. "And don't scare the people while you're in the bus."

"I will, I promise. Don't be an idiot when I'm not around, okay?" I could sense a slight tremble in her voice, but she changed her tone immediately. "And don't get yourself into trouble."

The bus was already arriving so she broke our embrace. When it stopped in front of us, she made one last glance at me and reached for my hand.

"I had to go to hell to find this," I had no idea what she was talking about until I felt something in my palm. It was a tiny black box, with a blue ribbon.

"Happy birthday, Jason."

The bus was slowly gaining speed and I watched at the sight of my sister slowly disappear. The lights dimmed their way into the night until I could see from the road was nothing but black. Clutching the little black box, I got inside the car and drove home.

It only took me 15 minutes to arrive at my apartment because there were no more cars in the neighborhood. I changed clothes, brushed my teeth, and did my other rituals until I was already in bed, thinking about the events that happened today and repeating them in my head until I doze off.

I was halfway between the stage of consciousness and sleep when I heard my phone buzz from my nightstand. Thalia's gift was beside it so I grabbed both of them. I adjusted my position in my bed until I was half-sitting, and decided to open the gift first before I look at my phone.

I unwrapped the ribbon delicately and placed the blue silk back on the nightstand. The box looked at felt expensive. It was not something one would normally buy out of a craft store so I figured this had to come from somewhere divine.

When I opened it, I found a note, presumably from my sister. My assumptions were correct when I found her imbalanced, unpleasant handwriting inked on the sheet.

_I had to argue with Hades in giving this to you and almost god turned into a flower by Persephone by in the end it all worked out. You deserve this, he would have wanted you to have this. Take care. Happy Birthday, little brother._

The bottom of the box, contained a tiny piece of jewelry. I reached for it and marveled at its wonderful craftsmanship. It was shining, even in the dark. Except for the encrusting on its head, everything else felt smooth. It should be, since it was refined by the god of wealth himself. At the bottom of the box, I found the most surprising gift of all.

A skull ring.

His skull ring.

My phone lit up again, alerting me of the message earlier.

_Hey Jason, happy birthday again. Hope you liked the cake. Have a good night :-) – Julio P._

I really liked the cake Julio. And I really wish I would have a good night.

But I didn't.

* * *

**A/N: So you've probably noticed that this story is a throw between past and present. It's really Jason-centric, focusing on how different he is as a boy and as a man. Now that I've hopefully established the beginning of both time planes, the story could go on and lead up to where it's supposed to end. Where's Nico in all of this? Who is Julio? Tune in! Comments are very welcome!**


	3. Then: FUNERAL

Both Romans and Greeks decided that the burial place of the fallen heroes should not be closer to either camp, but within their middle. It made perfect sense, knowing that each camp's efforts were only as much as the others.

A huge garden was built in the middle of Kansas, the middle of mainland USA. I had no idea how this place looked to ordinary humans, but for us who could see past the mist, it was a beautiful expanse of paradise. The meadow was covered with perfectly mowed grass patched with a colorful array of flora that casually danced with the gentle breeze. When the sun mirrors the ground at a certain angle, the flowers would resemble jewels, as if this whole place held an endless deposit of all the earth's riches. The gods have given the place their blessing, which meant that it is both sacred and protected, as it should.

They have named it The Garden of Heroes.

Within the field were towering statues, each designed with a symbol that was attributed to god. It was similar to the cabins in Camp Half-Blood, except that this housed dead demigods. Somewhere in the far left was a huge, floating cornucopia for the children of Demeter. Beside it was a golden replica of Apollo's lyre. The right part of the garden had an enormous dove made of glass for Aphrodite. The bird was upon Piper's insistence, in extreme opposition to Drew's suggestion of a cosmetic product. The descendants of Vulcan, blacksmiths as they are, made a blazing fire that was about 50 feet high to honor their siblings. The other monuments were erected somewhere in the middle area of the grounds. Mercury was represented by his Caduceus; Athena, by an owl; Mars, by a warship used by Clarisse in her quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece; Artemis, by a bow; Dionysius, by a tilted goblet that continually poured wine into the ground.

The fallen children of non-Olympian deities, such as Hecate, Tyche, and Isis, were given their respective burial grounds as well. Personally, it was insignificant to me whoever their godly parent was. Their bravery and loyalty were enough for me hold them in high regard. Each soul lost in battle should be recognized and honored.

I was told by Annabeth that this form of homage was not exactly in existence a few years back. Children of minor gods were either unclaimed or, if they were claimed, practically unrecognized. They were all clumped into the Hermes cabin and it had to take the death of a certain Luke Castellan and Percy's arrogance to the Olympians for my dad and his peers to realize that minor gods and their children were important too.

On the far north of the circle stood a statue of a three-headed dog. It was made from dark iron that was mined in the depths of the underworld. That was probably the reason why the canine figure seemed to pull the light within the vicinity. It was nothing grand, but it was beautifully and skillfully carved. Cerberus himself would have been astounded at the fine craftsmanship of the piece of art.

One name was carved at the bottom of the statue, and I did not need to make my way to the area and look at the intricate chiseling of gold and bronze because the identity of the person buried underneath it is painfully well-known to me.

Today was the ceremony in honor of the deceased, and believe me when I say that I have never dreaded a day more. As with all burials, there are certain rituals and practices that needed to be done.

One of those being eulogies.

Unfortunately enough, I was one of the few people, alongside Reyna, Frank, Annabeth, and Percy, who were given the task to pay homage to the dead. Don't get me wrong, I could very well roll out a list of praise and acclaim to those who have lost their lives in the war. But I choose to do so in a more unconstrained way, without having to deal with formalities. I've been brought up by fine conduct for my whole existence, and I do not want situations such as saying farewell to be part of that etiquette.

Yet here I am, installed at the middle of the stage, rehearsing my speech at the back of my mind.

Leo and his siblings have assembled a temporary stage in the center of the garden where none of the statues were erected. He decided to make it out of glass so that it would not drastically affect the view of the whole periphery. From a distance, the stage looked practically invisible, and even the flowers scattered beneath it did not look squashed at all.

No matter how I try to show some signs of insurgency, the Roman inside me has an irritating tendency to become impervious to the idea. I was one of the people who could never say no, who could never turn my back on my duties. Noble? Yes. Idiotic? Perhaps.

Annabeth and Percy were already done with their speeches, while Frank was in the middle of his. Reyna will follow him, while I shall be last. All four of them agreed to the idea without consulting me, and when I uselessly asked them why, they answered that I was the best example of Greek and Roman values.

"Nervous?" Reyna turned around her seat to look at me. Her voice was attempting its best to sound strong, and the look in her eyes seemed to failingly support her façade.

"No, not really." I wasn't. "I just…"

My mind trailed off with my words. Before my mind could intelligently phrase a decent answer to Reyna's question, Frank was already finished with his speech and she rose. It took her exactly 8 steps to reach the platform. Eight calculated, precise steps that reflect the upbringing of Reyna as a Roman warrior.

The sense of duty has been ingrained in the mind of every being who has set foot in Camp Jupiter. This set of values has come to a severe point where we, as warriors, have to be repellent to the idea of emotions. A lot of people have matured tremendously because of this fine-tuning. One of those being Reyna. Her rise to power has been nothing short of astounding and I can clearly notice the zest for leadership in her every glare, act and word. Perhaps one of the most important foundations of our relationship is our understanding of our duties. We have come to respect our rank, which upsettingly made us acknowledge each other more as leaders than friends. Not that our personal affairs have dwindled down to nothing more than mere pleasantries, but because of this ill-prophesized war, we have been forced to put our bond aside in favor of forging political alliances with the Greeks.

I was too lost in my own thoughts to listen to Reyna's speech. Heck, even those of Percy, Annabeth, and Frank. But I was fairly certain that Reyna's words would come with stern reminders of the valiance and honor that our fellow brethren have exhibited. This war took its toll on her, and even I, as one of her most trusted comrades, can sense her occasional hollow looks and isolations. But the difference with me and Reyna, as brutal as this may sound, is that I could manage to open myself up to others.

Reyna did not have this luxury. As praetor, there is this unspoken rule to never unlatch oneself to another. This was supposedly a sign of frailty, but to me it was more than that. It would be like giving another an opportunity to wound her insides whole and cause her instability in her leadership, which would then give rise to endless criticisms and even worse reprisals. To a certain extent, it falls as complete anxiety, but the culture of Camp Jupiter would never give room for suspicion.

Reyna, Leo and Piper, and even Nico, would never judge me wrongly when I relieve myself of the role of leader, as every other demigod would expect me to be. In fact, if I didn't know any better, they would have preferred it if I occasionally come undone in front of them – become a complete idiot who made mistakes, or even a dissident to the popular opinion. Those three were the only ones who were brave enough to realize that I am still as navigable a person even without all those ridiculous titles.

Alas, because of the war, the four became three.

I've been trying to push the thought of Nico's absence out of my mind ever since we got back to Camp Half-Blood. For the first few hours, my mind outmaneuvers my emotions but one a really large scale, I am failing miserably. It was nearly impossible to forget the reason why all of us are still alive. Not to mention that the stage was directly facing the statue of Cerberus. Since we got to the burial grounds, I have never been able to approach Nico's, ironically, deathbed. Probably my duties since our victory have been piled up for me to even make a decision on my own, or to even stop and let all this sink ink. But deep inside, something inside me was still in mindless denial of his passing away. And visiting the grave of the Ghost King would wipe those foolish hopes clean.

When Reyna was done with her soliloquy, or at least I thought she was, I gathered all my strength to reach the podium. My rehearsed speech was still at the back of my mind, but with each nervous stride, fragments of what I was supposed to say were tearing away to the recesses of my unconscious. My first five minutes (if I timed them right) that were devoted to bravery seemed to plummet to the floor and I could not pick them up. Sweat began to form in my hands, with those tiny droplets of water escaping my skin with the rest of the words of my address. When was finally at the middle of the stage, my mental outline has complete vanished. This never happened to me before, but then again, it's not everyday that hundreds of the gods' descendants die because of a begrudging titan.

Come on Jason, speak.

All I could see was the swathe of orange and purple in front of me. The Romans were on my left and the Greeks, on my right. The audience was lined up neatly, and they were waiting for me to orate some words to tell them that all their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

"I… I am…"

At the far right, just beside the Greeks, were the hunters of Artemis. They have come to join us to pay homage to their fallen sisters. I could see Thalia, with her spiky blue eyes, furrowing her brows at me. She was probably wondering what was going on with me and what the cause of my sudden stage fright was.

There you have it, another person who looks up to me as if I was a robot built for a specific purpose alone. Another person, among this sea of demigods and legacies, who thinks that I was never built for anything more than being the perfect, blond, son of Zeus that I am.

I tore my gaze away from her and tried to focus elsewhere. Actually, anything that would help me gather my wits and finally get this stupid thing over and done with. Sadly, the next piece of "anything" big enough to stop my visual wondering was the statue of Cerberus.

Great.

I stared at the sleek, black dog as long as my eyes would permit. It was my first time to actually survey it since I got here. And it was then that I realized that, out of all the deific representations in the garden, this would have to be the most unassuming one. It wasn't as loud, colorful, or as hot (compared to Vulcan's) as the others, and it would probably be the one that a demigod would not have noticed or remembered if he took a first stroll around the area. But when one does take the time to inspect it, he will marvel at its effortless aesthetic. I have no need to touch the idol to know how smooth it was; I was practically seeing and sensing its texture. It rests in a shaded area, so it gives an illusion that the three-headed dog actually blended with the shadows. I suppose whoever created it wanted the icon of Hades to be close to its home – the darkness.

All my descriptions of the tomb of Nico ultimately made me realize how even in his last memorial, the son of Hades still chose to be left out of attention. Clearly, as the son of one of the most powerful gods, his shrine would have been somewhere in the middle, but by some stroke of divine intervention, it was situated in one gloomy corner. And, like his final grave, Nico was the type of person to never let anybody admire him at first glimpse. Only those who took the risk of knowing him were rewarded with his carefree smiles, his sarcastic but well-meant remarks, his entirety.

Catching a glimpse of Nico's resting place was sufficient to get some of my thoughts back to the current situation, which was getting pretty uncomfortable since almost a minute has passed without me releasing a word from my mouth.

Heaving a deep gulp of air, I began.

"Today, no one is either only Greek nor Roman. Today, we are family. And we carry out what strong, and esteemed families are known for – stand by each other. While we may have not seen the best of days as of late, that does not mean that they will never come. Because they will. Our fallen brothers and sisters made sure of that. Our brethren, who breathed their last reserve of air with the hope that we fulfill their last wishes."

I looked at the crowd in front of me. Almost a hundred pairs of coloured eyes were boring into me, as if there was an invisible cord that was suddenly attached to my life force. Any wrong word could be a disaster. I was beginning to panic again and cold sweat was beginning to coat my body, making me more vulnerable to the suddenly cold environment around me.

No Jason. Put yourself together. Take a deep breath. Think of what makes you strong. Think of who makes you strong. Think of your friends.

Piper.

"They died for a lot of reasons. Some, because of personal vendettas, while others, because they needed to prove something to their godly heritage. But this I am sure of, they gave their lives up because they love us. And there is no greater reason to die for than love."

Leo.

"It is with a broken, shattered heart that I join all of you in saying our farewell to those whom we are used to waking up with; those who sat beside us on the table and complain about the food; those whose screams and smiles have sweetly tortured us during those late nights when we were al just trying to get some sleep. I could go on, because this list is endless. And it hurts to know that as immense as their impact on our daily lives were, so too will the pain and the absence.

Reyna.

"But at the same, strange time, what baffles me is how relieved I am to see all of us here, with hearts still beating. I do not mean to act too radiant, but I suppose what I'm saying that we are immensely blessed to have been given a chance to continue upon this journey. To continue standing by each other. Such a conviction might seem foreign for the time being, and it might even mean nothing at all, but we owe it to the departed to try and get back up. And so we should. Let us start rebuilding our lives from their final memories. Let us choose to celebrate our glorious heritage. But…"

Nico.

"… but."

The one, true reason why I'm still alive.

"But fuck this, because I honestly do not know how to live up to what I just said."

And so the collective gasps began.

"I would be lying if I tell you that I do not feel like absolute shit right now. I fucking hate talking here, in front of all of you like I'm some wired-up commander at everyone's behest. I don't even know what the hell I'm doing here. I'm not a praetor anymore, nor am I any more important in Camp Half-Blood. Don't even think of bringing up my heritage to Jupiter or Zeus or whoever the hell you think my shell of a father is, because I'm just as wretched as all of you, grieving for the loss of someone important."

I looked back at the four previous speakers beside me. If Frank's jaws could descend to the ground, they would. Percy and Annabeth looked like they won front-row seats to a freakshow. It was only Reyna who remained her deadpan expression.

"Why am I not seated there, like the rest of you? Seriously, do I not have a right to be just as emotionally devastated as all of you, without the duty to give you all a reassuring but obviously fake hand that things will go back to normal? Well let me break it to all of you now, they're fucking not. To tell you the truth, I'm not supposed to be speaking here in front of you, let alone be alive! Because the reason why I'm still breathing was at the expense of losing somebody dear to me. And I'm not that type of person. And judging by the fickle-minded nature of this curse I'd like to call our divine birthrights, it wouldn't be long before some asshole perched very comfortably high above comes up with a killer prophecy that would mean the loss of those who us who have managed to avoid being strangled in the throat or being squashed by a brainless giant. "

I could feel the sky start to rumble above me. Shards of grey and dark clouds were battling with the sunlight. I didn't care if it was my own doing or if it was my father immaturely responding to my mockery, because inside me, I had a pretty fucked-up tempest of my own. The occasional sobs and strangles were slowly making their way to my attempt of a commanding voice.

"Know this, all of you. If there's anything I said that should be remembered, it's that both Romans and Greeks should never be at odds with one another. Ever again. If there ever came a time when we exchange swords instead of camaraderie, we would be just as unrelenting as our enemies. We would be crushing the last hopes of those who have died for peace. It would be just the same as having their blood on our very hands. And to those of you who plan on doing an uprising between our camps, or to those who would even think that they have simply fallen by the wayside, I will personally make sure –"

A strong grip tugged my right hand away from the podium before I could finish my sentence. Reyna was trying to storm me out of the stage. She was facing away from me so I really couldn't see her expression, although my bets are she was pretty cross with my extemporaneous speech.

"Don't wait for us, Annabeth," she called out to the only other person in the stage who she thought was trustworthy enough. "Carry on."

I turned to look at Annabeth, who gave a nod. Reyna didn't see it, and maybe she had no need to. By the time we got off the stage, Reyna was still tightly clutching my hand. I felt too weak to physically oppose her grip, but that didn't stop me from pleading.

"Reyna," I attempted my best to coherently say her name while sobbing, "please, stop."

No answer. It would be useless to pick a quarrel with her, so I saved all my energy for the real conversation that was about to ensue.

We kept on walking until we were barely out of the garden's surroundings. This was where the flora stopped flourishing and the gentle heat suddenly became prickly. The land was barren, with nothing to see for miles but the bright horizon and endless patches to dried grass. This was where Reyna let go of my hand. She walked a little further down, while I collapsed on the ground. I wished I could go back to the garden, but then again that wouldn't be such a good idea because of my recent display of aberration. So I settled for the scorching earth and put my hands on my face, visibly showing my remorse for failing.

"That was quite a show, Grace." Reyna's voice sliced through the dense, hot air like a swing of a knife.

I couldn't look at her, no. I buried myself deeper into my hands and soon enough, both tears and sweat were covering every wrinkle and crevice on my face.

"Jason, look at me."

"No."

"I'm not mad you know." Wait, what?

My eyes followed the direction of the voice. They readjusted from the garish light, but when I finally saw Reyna, I was completely surprised to notice a faint smile planted on her face. It wasn't one of those sarcastic expressions that she usually reserved for Octavian during council meetings. It was a sincere one.

"Why?"

Reyna retraced her steps to sit beside me. Her hair was parted on the other side, so I could clearly see her whole expression when I glanced at her. Her smile hasn't left, but this time I sensed a melancholic brimming in her dark eyes.

"Because I lost a friend too."

Her voice cracked somewhere in the middle of her answer. She was trying hard not to stray from her high-handed image – one aspect of my character which has been miserably brought to disaster. I had no idea what to say to comfort her, seeing that I still was not in the best position to. Clearly, I had no idea about a lot of things during the whole funeral. So I did the next best thing, which was to keep the silence.

"It was the ring, you know."

I shot her a puzzled look to visibly convey my confusion.

"Let me start this story properly," Reyna, with her rolling eyes, seemed to get the message.

"Nico and I have been together for the entire journey of the Athena Parthenos. So it was but natural that we got to know more about each other. We exchanged a lot of information, which at first consisted of battle tactics, ways of life… basically the differences between our cultures. But it progressed to more personal details, like how we were brought up, the struggles that we went through. You know, that stuff."

She shifted her position to sit more comfortably. It looked like this story would take longer than I expected.

"His powers have been, how do I phrase this, developing strangely ever since Bianca died. They were fluctuating in a way no demigod ever experienced."

"What do you mean by fluctuating?"

"It's kind of difficult to explain, and Nico would probably be the only one to succinctly describe it, but his powers were transcending the levels of normalcy. Take yourself and Percy for example. You both could call upon air and water, right?"

I nodded, but I still couldn't fathom where she was coming from.

"Well, Nico, for the past few years, has been doing more than that. His element was death; I mean, he could sense it perfectly. But unlike you and Percy, Nico…"

Reyna's voice trailed off, possibly contemplating to use her next words wisely.

"Nico couldn't only control death. He had the ability to be death itself."

I could now understand why Reyna was a little tense about this whole conversation. Nico, death itself? That was prodigious! But why did he keep it, as usual, to himself for so many years?

"Why didn't he tell us?"

"Why do you think he didn't tell you guys, Jason?" her tone morphed into a hard one, as if mocking me because the answer was as clear as day and I still couldn't get it.

"He already felt so insecure about himself; like there was something about him that he has to change for all of you to accept him. He was an outcast among all of you. He was the son of the god of death, for gods' sakes. Not that I'm complaining, but I felt like he confessed these things to me out of force rather than his own volition."

I knew more than what Reyna let on, and I easily could have seconded her opinions of Nico with substantiated facts but I just chose not to. Besides, if Nico wanted her to know, then it could only mean that she must have said her statement with deeper meaning than I thought she could. There was no need for that revelation of his life to come from me.

"I've always told him that he wasn't an outcast, but a genius most of us could wish to be," I replied.

"Although I agree to what you say, but I don't think you'd want to have his powers," Reyna didn't let Nico's personal life wander off into the conversation any longer, so she resumed to talk about his powers.

"He was scared of the madness that he could do. He was at his wits' end trying to suppress it. He was scared of being death. You have to understand that Nico experienced all this sudden upsurge of ability during that time that he just found out of his lineage. And this was merely moments after his sister just died. He was thrown in a pretty impossible situation – alone and misguided. So he chose to survive on the only familiar thing which didn't disappoint him – hatred."

"Reyna," I pursed my lips, "what does it exactly mean to be death?"

Without batting an eyelash, Reyna answered, "well, he could surely do more than shadow travel, or talk to the dead, or have them at his beck and call. He would get this unusual bolt of black energy, like the black flame that you saw in the battlefield. When he's at this more powerful episodes, he could summon anything from the underworld – the walls, the dogs, even the River Lethe! But he had one most terrifying ability that was unheard and unsurpassed by any other demigod."

"And what is that?"

"He could rip out souls from their body. He didn't even need to touch anything. He just needed to think, and the person dies."

I was nonplused at Reyna's revelation. If one day, I suddenly get to amass all this power, I wouldn't exactly know what to do myself.

"Were there any, uh, casualties during Nico's discovery of his abilities?"

"He told me there were four people whose souls he may have accidentally ripped from their bodies. This happened during the time he ran away from Percy and Annabeth, and partly due to the manipulations of Minos. But don't worry, all of them are in Elysium now."

Well that was comforting to hear. "But I still don't understand what this has to do with the ring."

"Don't get ahead of the pace, Grace," Reyna sounded irritated. "Anyway, it was after Bianca died. Nico told me that he was taking a rest somewhere in Connecticut when suddenly his father appeared, with all his black glory. It was one of their first encounters together, if I recall it right."

"So what did his dad say?"

"He explained to his son that his powers were transcending a demigod's level and becoming godlike. That explained a great number of things, especially the occasional surges of Nico's power. He added that having no way to restrain them could prove to be lethal for his human half. So in order to tame that, he gave Nico his ring. He placed a charm on it so that his son's powers could be controlled and regulated. Nico always told you that he uses it to control the undead, but now you know that it's more than that."

"It was also the first time that Pluto sort of welcomed Nico to the Underworld. He figured that it would be better to give him access to his kingdom rather than waking up to find Cerberus missing. You'd be surprised to know the god of death as one of the most affectionate gods towards their children. He may not show it, but he's always checking on Nico," Reyna didn't see me react violently so she took it as a sign to continue.

"Anyway, his dad told him that the moment he removes the ring, all his stored godly powers will come back and he will be unstoppable for the moment. However, because he is still half-human, he has to put it back. He might push his human side to its limits, and in the process, consume him. The ring didn't just keep his destructive powers at bay, it kept him alive. And even if he removes his ring temporarily, he would have to do so on very exceptional circumstances – which happened twice in his lifetime."

"Twice?"

"Jason, how else could Nico have survived Tartarus alone?"

Reyna stood up to stretch. I didn't notice that we've been talking for almost an hour and the sun was about to set on the horizon. Its bronze rays reached out to our purple robes, emitting a warm flush of royal crimson.

"After that, things went back to normal, by our standards. There were the occasional battles, finding out about Hazel, then the switch between you and Percy, he even managed to make friends with you, who he describes as a self-professed relationship idiot," the daughter of Bellona added. "But during the war with Gaea, and sensing the danger you were in, he felt like it was his responsibility to protect Hazel, you, and the rest of the chosen seven. That's why he took it off again."

"And he never put it back on." I caught myself struggling with my answer. My stomach was spewing with immeasurable guilt. I was one of the reasons why Nico was dead. A life was lost because of me. Nico had to go through all the torture because the seven of us who were supposed to bring salvation to the whole world were too weak. It was completely futile to achieve all this glory when I did nothing to earn a morsel of it. I couldn't even hold a candle next to his display of might. Why did it have to be him? And why did it have to be me? Pretty soon, I was beginning to tremble from feelings of self-accusation, hostility, and a whole lot of abandonment.

"It wasn't your fault Jason," Reyna placed a hand over my shoulder. "The Nico you know was already powerful, but Nico with a ring was more than tenfold. But at that state, you have to understand that children of Hades are driven by extreme emotions. It was a mixture of his frustration, power, anger building up inside him. It fueled him even more, he was unstoppable."

Sensing that my whimpers were only beginning to get worse, she sat next to me again. She placed her arm over me and made a half-embrace, a gesture I was genuinely surprised to note Reyna was capable of.

"He told me more than his troubles with his powers. He also told me about himself, about his feelings."

I looked at her blankly, and not as quizzical as the last time. I was waiting for her to slide the topic smoothly before I could react properly.

"You don't need to act so dumb, Jason. He knows that you know, too. Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with it. We love who we love. In this changing world, a disposition like that is now only an imaginary problem. But the problem with Nico was he was too consumed with his difficulties that he seems to be incapable of knowing the difference between make-believe from real conflicts. Our choices for caring for somebody should be our own, and they should be unhindered by whatever standards one group of people in power impose on."

I had to slightly giggle at Reyna's last statement. "I never expected a praetor to have such rebellious views of the heart."

"Shut up, Grace," her half-embrace suddenly turned to a half-punch. "I'm not letting you free on the travesty that you just displayed. I may have to put you on a few weeks of community service when we get back to camp."

"I know, Reyna, and I'm sorry."

"But," she began, "that goes without saying that I admire your honesty."

This time, I was the one who stood up. Reyna followed and we fixed our robes before we headed back to the burial grounds. The sun was almost gone in the plains, but when we entered the gardens, the ephemeral glow of red and yellow still adorned the surroundings. The ceremony proper was already over, so we took it as a sign to head north of the gardens and head back to the temporary camping grounds set up for the night. There would be a fellowship dinner later in the evening, and thankfully, I will take no part in it but to eat.

"Hey Reyna," I asked as we changed course. "Why did you drag me out there, anyway? I thought I was in for a beating."

"I guess I just wanted you to know more about Nico than you already do. He wasn't just some person who took all his anger out on a whim. He planned this act. He calculated it all, with the high chances that you and Hazel would survive." Reyna strolled from one patch of flowers to another, and took on a more unhurried pace.

"That was his goal all along. Well, saving the world was part of it, but saving you and Hazel – that was what mattered to him most. And seeing as how you're still breathing, his efforts weren't put to waste."

"But why me? I mean, he wasn't exactly pining for me, but for Percy. I think we're pretty clear on that," I inquired.

"Maybe you'll find you soon enough," Reyna bit her lip, "I see that you really care for Nico a lot, Jason."

"I do, Reyna. And it sucks that I couldn't even get to show my concern for him now he's gone," I added. What I didn't say though, was that I was becoming frightened of facing the rest of my life without him. What I couldn't say out loud was that I might become too absorbed with pleasing other people because no one would affectionately call me a moron anymore. I wanted to say so much and I didn't want to at the same time. I don't know what held me back but every time I try to think about all the memories I have shared with Nico, it's like some part of me suddenly gets paralyzed from all the anguish.

We were already at the northern part of the garden by the time our conversation ended. The clearing was only a few more meters away. I took a deep breath; it would be my first time to return to the crowd who just saw me made a complete fool of myself a few hours ago. But before I could even take my first step, Reyna held her hand, signaling me to stop.

"Let me go first," she commanded, her voice back to its normal, emotionless tone. "You should stay here first. And go out when you're not as discomposed."

With one swift turn, she made her way out the garden. The temporary camps were already ablaze with a hundred lights from each tent. I could hear distant cheers and noises from afar, and if a sniffed hard enough, I could smell the dishes that would be served for later.

I knew Reyna wasn't just making sure that things were in order before I return. She wanted me to do the thing I was dreading most since I first set foot in the garden. So I took a few steps to my left and came face to face with the statue of Cerberus.

Buried beneath this precious ornament is the boy who, for reasons that are still unclear to me, has risked his life to save mine; a hero who never wanted to be acknowledged as a warrior, a knight, or any noble title available, but simply as a comrade; a friend who would put others before him even if he never got the affection he desired and rightfully deserved.

"Hey, Nico…"

Below the statue of Cerberus lies an angel who never lived to hear how much I have come to care for him unconditionally. And it pains me too much to linger on that regret, but crying is all I can do now, and I will be forever plagued with the guilt of never speaking out about my feelings.

"I hope that wherever you are right now, you could manage to listen to this moron who has never been able to thank you."

* * *

**A/N: First off, I would like to apologize for the late update. It has been quite hard writing this chapter, and apart from that, classes have kept me pretty busy. Also, I have been going back and forth on the accuracy of the story's timeline (particularly about Nico's ring, when he got it, etc.) so that might have extended this publishing. So there! Many have been asking me if Julio is the reincarnation of Nico? Well, they might have striking similarities but I am not ready to confirm nor deny if they are one and the same yet. I guess it would have to depend on how the story goes and how the public reacts to it? Ha ha so Julio MIGHT or MIGHT NOT be.**

**Your thoughts on the story are and will be appreciated! Thank you for reading!**


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